Improvement in bleaching ivory, bone



similar articles n. K. TUTTLE, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PATENT QIEFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BLEACI-IING- IVORY, BONE, 8cc.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 85,875, dated January 12, 1869.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, D. K. TUTTLE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bleaching Ivory, Bone, 85c. and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to understand the same.

This invention relates to improvements in the process of bleaching ivory, bone, and other and has for its object to cheapen the cost and improve the quality of the articles bleached.

According to the present method of bleachi g ivory, bone, &c., they are first cut into pieces as near as may be to the form required for the finished article and esposed to the action of sunlight, care being taken to turn them from time to time in order to produce an equal exposure of all the surface as far as possible. A long-continued exposure in this manner results in bleaching these articles to a satisfactory degree, but the combined action of light and air during the long time required renders them very hard and brittle, thereby unfitting them for many uses besides, the time required, varying in different seasons of the year, from three to sixlmonths, makes the operation very expensive.

I have found by experiment that the bleaching power of light is very greatly facilitated by being brought into action ppon the ivory or bone while immersed in a bath pf spirits of turpentine, or certain liquids of which it is the essential ingredient, or sulphuric ether or other liquids of a similar nature.

This may be done by placing the pieces of ivory or bone and spirits of turpentine or other liquids in transparent vessels, or in opaque vessels open or covered by glass or other transparent covers, and exposing them to daylight. In this manner I have succeeded in thoroughly bleaching pieces of ivory or bone in from five to fifteen days, which according to the previous bleaching process req uires many months besides, it is left in a soft and elastic condition, possessing more nearly its natural toughness of fiber, and it is more evenly accomplished throughout.

- Hitherto the practice of bleaching ivory or bone articles has been confined to such small articles as were not materially damaged by being made hard and brittle, and which required the least expenditure of time.

WVith my improved process the largest articles may be readily bleached in a short space of time, without being deteriorated in quality.

I desire it to be understood that care is taken to expose the surface of the pieces uniformly to the light, and I do not wish it to be understood that the operation can be accomplished in-all cases in the time above stated, as much depends upon the degree of intensity of the light and the size of the pieces to be acted on, but that in all cases it is much less than in the ordinary method.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described improved process for bleaching ivory and bone by exposure to light in a bath of spirits of turpentine or other equivalent liquids, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 7th day of August, 1868.

D. K. TUTTLE.

Witnesses FRANK BLOOKLEY, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

